She was once a rising star in the national table tennis team, fighting side by side with Fan Zhendong, and even defeating the current national table tennis mainstay Sun Yingsha. She has a beautiful face, known as the "first beauty of the national table tennis team," and also has a glorious record, the future seems bright. However, just when people expected her to reach new heights, she chose to turn around and leave, bidding farewell to the national team and the professional arena. She is Wang Tianyi, a table tennis girl who chooses to pursue inner peace and freedom.
Wang Tianyi's journey in table tennis began with accompanying her brother. When she was young, her brother practiced table tennis, and she always sat quietly on the sidelines watching. The small white ball jumping on the table seemed to stir the strings of her young heart. One accidental opportunity, the coach discovered her strong interest in table tennis and let her try a few shots. Unexpectedly, this trial opened up an indissoluble bond between her and table tennis. Wang Tianyi showed amazing talent, as if born for table tennis. At the suggestion of the coach, four-year-old Wang Tianyi officially started her table tennis training.
From Jinan to Luneng, and then to the national team, Wang Tianyi's journey in table tennis has been firm and persistent. At the age of ten, she entered the Shandong Luneng Table Tennis Club with her excellent skills, which is a cradle that has cultivated many world champions. Here, she received more systematic and professional training, and also encountered more challenges and opportunities. Every morning, when most children were still asleep, Wang Tianyi had already appeared in the training hall, sweating profusely. Day after day of training not only honed her skills but also shaped her tenacious character.
In 2016, at the age of fourteen, Wang Tianyi made a splash at the National Youth Table Tennis Championships, winning the women's singles runner-up. This achievement allowed her to successfully join the national team, becoming the youngest member of the national team at the time, and even becoming teammates with national table tennis star Fan Zhendong. Entering the national team meant greater challenges and higher requirements. The daily high-intensity training often left this teenage girl feeling exhausted. But she never thought of giving up because there was always a dream in her heart: to become a world champion.
During her days in the national team, Wang Tianyi experienced countless sweat and tears, and also reaped glory and growth. In 2017, she won the gold medal in the women's team event at the Asian Championships with her team, which was her first major honor in the national team. Subsequently, she achieved excellent results at the Italian Open and Hungarian Open, gradually emerging on the international stage. She was getting closer and closer to her Olympic dream, and it seemed that everything was developing in the best direction.
However, the cruelty of competitive sports lies in the fact that not all efforts are rewarded. Although Wang Tianyi performed outstandingly in competitions, the competition within the national team was extremely fierce. Strong players like Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng, like insurmountable mountains, stood in the way of her path to the Olympic arena. In the end, she missed the Tokyo Olympics with regret.
Although she missed the Olympics, Wang Tianyi did not lose heart. At the 2023 Chinese Table Tennis Championships, she and her partner Liu Dingshuo caused an upset by defeating the top seeds Sun Yingsha/Wang Chuqin in the mixed doubles match. This victory once again made her the focus of attention. Just when everyone thought she would reach the peak of her career, Wang Tianyi made an unexpected decision: to quit the national team.
As soon as this news came out, it immediately aroused wide attention and speculation from the outside world. People speculated about the reasons for her departure and regretted that she had given up a promising future. It was not until later that Wang Tianyi revealed on social media that years of high-intensity training had made her body unable to bear the burden, and the troubles of injuries forced her to reconsider her life plan. She chose to leave in order to find a healthier and freer lifestyle.
After leaving the national team, Wang Tianyi did not completely leave table tennis. She still participates in some amateur competitions, interacts with fans, and shares her experience and skills. She also actively participates in public welfare activities, using her influence to promote table tennis. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she became popular on the Internet for her outstanding looks as Sun Yingsha's sparring partner, earning the title of "the first beauty of the national table tennis team."
Wang Tianyi's story is not one of regret and giving up, but one of choice and courage. She chose to listen to the voice of her heart and pursue the life she truly wanted. She tells us with her actions that there is not only one path in life, and the definition of success is not only the champion. No matter where you are, as long as you have passion in your heart, you can live out your own brilliance.
